Cleansing of ferrous and non-ferrous metals



.dium or potassium cyani STATES PATENT oF'FIoE.

SUMNER B. MASON, OF WILMETTE, ILLINOIS, ASBIGNOB TO WESTERN ELECTRIC COMPANY, INCORPORATED, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

CLEANSING OF FEBBOUS AND NON-FERROUS METALS.

He Drawing.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, UMNER R. Mason, a citizen of the United States, residing at Wilmette, in the county of Cook and btate of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Cleansm of Ferrous and Non-Ferrous Metals, of w ich the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description.

This invention relates to the cleansing of ferrous and non-ferrous metals, and more particularly to the electrolytic cleansing of such metals- The invention has for itsobject in eneral the rapid and thorou h cleansing of errous and non-ferrous meta sin an economical an efficient manner.

In accordance with one feature of this invention, the metals are cleansed by an elec trolytic process without the use of fixed electrodes. In accordance with this feature, the parts to be cleansed are submerged in the electrolyte and are made the terminals for a source of alternating current.

In accordance with another feature of this invention, there is provided an electrolyte which is free from acids, eflicient in action, and inexpensive to roduce. According to this feature of t e invention, the electrolyte has as its princi al in edient socom ined with a small quantity of hydrate or carbonate, either sodium, carbonate, or potassium.

I The electrolyte may be varied considerably as to the quantities of the several ingredients, but a typical electrolyte of this invention would be made by dissolving 32 grams of sodium or potassium cyanid in one liter of water and then adding four grams of sodium or potassium hydrate or by adding sodium or potassium carbonate and eight grams of grape sugar in case the electrolyte is to be used in the cleansing of ferrous metals. The organic matter such as grape sugar is added in order to keep the surfaces being cleaned free from coatin s and slime of iron oxid or iron hydrate. artrates and citrates may also be used for this purpose, but are not so satisfactory and are more expensive. I

In practising the process of this invention a plurality of the parts to be cleansed would be submerged in the electrolyte and a portion of them would be connected to one Specification of Letters Patent.

terminalpf an alternating current source, the remaining ones to theother terminal of said source.

The greatest advantages of this process are realized when applied to the cleansin of iron or steel parts, due to the unusual brightness of the surface which is produced by this process. In its commercial a plication the unusual brightness of the surIace produced will in most cases make unnecessary the pol- 1sh1ng and burnishing of the parts which have been necessary eretofore to produce the necessary bri htness.

The bright sur ace produced by this process also avoids the use of the bright dip which is composed of expensive nitric acid usedalone or in conjunction with sulfuric acid in the well-known bright dip process.

A further advantage of this process resides 1n the fact that in the treatment with a nonac1d electrolyte the danger of rusting, due to acid remaming on the parts or the tedious process of thoroughly cleansin the acid rom the parts in water dips, is avoided. Parts cleansed in the cyanid electrolyte and by the use of alternating current may be removed directly from the electrolyte and left indefinitely without danger of rustin while the solution of which the electrolyte is composed remains upon them. 7

The parts treated by the electrolyte and process of this invention are ready, when withdrawn from the solution and rinsed in water, to be plated, painted, lacquered, or welded, without further treatment.

The process which utilizes the parts to be cleaned as the electrodes has the advantage that it avoids the use of the expensive fixed electrodes.

What is claimed is:

l. The process of cleansing metals which consists in making the parts to be cleansed the electrodes of an electrolytic cell, and subjecting them to the action of alternating cur rent.

2. An electrolyte for the cleansing ofv metals comprising cyanid, hydrate, and an organic agent.

Patented Apr. 20, 1920. Application filed September 8, 1818. Serial No. 252,474.

meta-ls flirmed in the proportions of 32 grams of cyanid, one liter of water, 4 grams of hydrate, and 8 grams of grape sugar.

5. An electrolyte for the cleansing of metals, comprising cyanid, hydrate, and grape sugar.

6. The process of cleansing metals, which consists 1n submerging the parts to be cleansed in a solution of cyanid, water, bydmte, and an organic agent, and submitting 10 them as electrodes to the action of alternatin current.

11 witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 24th day of August A. D.,

SUMNER MASON. 

